Correspondent&#39;s case



Jan. 12, 1937. M. LIF'ION CORRESPONDENT'S CASE Filed Jan. 23, 1936 INVENTOR I Q Mflll/P/ GEL/F70 ATT RNEY Patented Jan. 12, 1937 PATENT OFFICE amssi CORBESPONDENTS CASE Maurice Litton, Belle Harbor, Long Island, N. Y.,

assignor to The Litton Mtg. 00., a copartnership composed of Maurice Litton, Aaron Litton, and Benjamin Litton, New York, N. Y.

Application January as, 1930, sel'lll'No. 00,394

5 claims. (on. lac-4.0)

This invention relates to correspondence cases or envelopes, especially to such a case having complemental flaps adapted to form a gusset or gussets, and my improvements are of particular 5 utility when embodied in the construction of a correspondence case comprising side parts opening swingingly away from each other around a joining part at the base of the case, although I contemplate the use of my improvements in any similar type of case for use in which they are adapted by their nature.

An object of the invention is to provide a case of this class with an unusually strong reinforce- 25 aiding to maintain the case with uniform breadth and thickness.

A correspondence case so reinforced is much stronger than conventional cases of this general type.

30 A further object of the invention is to provide a case of the type in which the two sides, when swung upward into closed position, are united by a running hookless fastener, with a wire frame included within a pocket formed by a strip of leather 35 or similarly strong, flexible material superimposed upon the conventional strip of flexible material upon the edge of which the hookless fastener elements are mounted, so that the reinforcing wire frame is held in place by the laminated or double 40 ply wall constituted by these two superimposed strips, through which is run a double row of stitching, one row on. each side of the wire.

A cognate object is to furnish an unusually strong base for such a hookless fastener strip, so 45 that by provision of the wire frame parallel with the U-shaped run of the fastener, any tendency of the latter to tear its supporting strip away from the lip of the flap is obviated, and the smooth operation of the fastener runner is facilitated.

' 50 Other features and objects of theinvention will appear as the description of the particular physical embodiment selected to illustrate the invention progresses.

In the accompanying drawing,- like characters 55 of reference have been applied to corresponding parts in the several views which make up th drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a correspondence case or envelope, in the construction of which the present invention has been embodied;

Fig. 2 shows the case of Fig. 1 opened out to reveal its interior structure;

Fig. 3 is a view thereof on an enlarged scale in end elevation, partly in vertical section on the line 3-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a detail view in perspective of one of the U-shaped wire reinforcements, shown separateiy;

Fig. 5 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary detail view in vertical section on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

In the now-preferred embodiment of the invention selected for illustration and description, the reference character I designates generally 'a piece of somewhat flexible strong leather which forms the exterior walls of a correspondence case or envelope, corresponding in general contour to a known type of such cases, this piece being adapted to be flexed transversely along its median region 2 so as to form integral panels 3 and 4 constituting the sides of the case when closed, as in Fig. 1.

Sliding handles 5 of known form are provided, in the instance illustrated, and" a lining 6 of leather, cloth or other suitable material is secured to the piece I by any suitable means, such as the stitching l, 8 and 9.

The first-named stitching 1, includes a U- shaped run of. stitches extending from the median region 2 at each side completely around the margin of the panel 3 and not only uniting the contiguous edges of that panel and the lining, but, as shown in detail in Fig. 5, also uniting thereto a strip 10 of leather or other suitable material which serves the purpose of a closure flap having the nature of a gusset element, and

' also serves the important purpose of a base strip to which is attached, as by stitches ll, I2,'a strip it of fabric which may desirably be of the conventional type employed as a support and attachment strip, for the elements it of a hookless 5 fastener means adapted to co-act with a complemental series I 5 of such elements carried by a similar attachment strip l6 stitched, as at l1, l8 to a closure or gusset element I9 which is symmetrically disposed on the margin of panel 4 and 5 is united to the edge thereof by the stitching 9, with the contiguous edge 20 of the lining 6 embraced therebetween.

'I'heconventional operator member 2| for effooting the running union of the hookless fastoner elements in known manner is adapted to occupy the position illustrated at the rlght hand of Fig. 1 when the envelope is open; and to occupy the position shown at the left-hand of Fig. 1 when the envelope is closed.

In order to permit the hookless fastener run to extend well within the confines of the case sides at the regions 2 respectively, the terminal 22 of each of the fiap strips II and I! is bent around from a position of parallelism with the the lateral margin of the side to which it is at tached, to a position in parallelism with the median line 2-2 at the bottom.

A bottom strip 23 of suitably heavy flexible material, such as leather or fabric is secured in place by the stitching I, which preferably runs only through the lining I and the bottom strip 23, the lining l, fiap strips ll andthe above described ends 22 of the runner strips I! and II being desirably assembled before the assembly of the lining and fiap strips with the piece i, and the performance of the stitching operation which unites the lining O and fiaps II, is around their contiguous margins. as at I, l. V

The ends of the strip 23 are formed with V- shaped notches, to facilitate the tucking in of the in Fig. 2.

In pursuance of the invention, the provision of frame members 2|, each composed of a single the rimner strip II and a similar strip 2| is sepiece of stifi wire, bent in the form of an inverted U, as shown in Fig. 4, is accomplished preferably at the same time that the rows of stitches H, l2, and [1, II are run through the plies II, I! and i9, ll respectively, and as these reinforoement members are desirably identical in form, and similarly held in place, the emplacement of only one will be described.

Each occupies a pocket formed between the plies II, it and is, II, as the case may be, and confined by the stitches H and I2 in the one instance and the stitches i1 and I! in the other instance.

Preferably an added strip 2! is secured over cured over the runner strip II by the stitching, for the sake of strength and improved finish, and it will be seen from Fig. 3 that the stitching and strips secured thereby runs along the complete extent of the U-shaped member, confining not only the cross-part which is designated 24 in Figs. 4 and 5, but also each of the shanks 28, which as will be readily understood are disposed in parallelism with, and adjacent to, the lateral margins of the case. v

From the foregoing it will be seen that each of the members 24 derives its support-entirely from one of the fiaps ll, ll and in a sense is a floating member, so that while rigid enough to hold the lips of the flaps at the right position for easy operation of the runner 2|, and, more important, to aid in maintaining the desired width and thickness of the case, these floating members do not interfere with a desirable fiexibility ofthe flaps II, II in their capacity as complemental parts of what is virtually a gusset extending around the top and upright sides of. the case, when closed, as in Hg. 1. I

An especially novel and-useful effect is secured by the fact that the free ends 21 of the shanks 20 of the wire member permit an important yielding or flexibility at the regions 2 in the closure of the bottom, while tending to hold the joined flaps in exactly the proper position necessary to impart good shape to the gusset at this critical region.

They prevent the fiaps from bulging and at the same time prevent their collapse inwardly.

the other three edges, being provided with means to join the lips of said flaps, and each fiap being characterized by a U-shaped reinforcement means secured around said lip, near the free margin of said lip, and adapted to float bodily therewith.

2. A correspondence case or envelope of the class described, comprising swinging side panels joined along one edge and each having a marginal flap of flexible material extending around the other three edges, being provided with means to join the lips of said flaps, and each fiap being characterized by a U-shaped reinforcement means secured around said lip, near the free margin of said lip and adapted to fioat bodily therewith, each of said reinforcement means in cluding a piece of rigid wire stock having sensibly resilient shank portions, each of said wire reinforcement pieces being enclosed within a pocket formed by stitching a fastener strip and an added strip to each fiap.

3. A correspondence case or envelope of the class described, comprising swinging side panels joined along one edge and each having a marginal fiap of flexible material extending around the other three edges, being provided with means to join the lips of said fiaps, and each flap being characterized by a U-shaped reinforcement means secured around said lip, each of said reinforcement means including a piece of rigid wire stock having sensibly resilient shank portions, and characterized by having said wire member enclosed within a pocket formed by stitching at least one added strip to said flap, said added strips being provided along their respectively free edges with hookless fastener elements, and a runner to complete the hookless fastener joint between said fiaps.

4. A correspondence case or envelope of the class described, comprising swinging side panels joined along one edge and each having a marginal fiap of flexible material extending around the other three edges, being provided with means to join the lips of said flaps, andeach fiap being characterized by a U-shaped reinforcement means secured around said lip, and by having the side panels of said case formed of a single piece of sensibly stiff leather, a leather lining co-extensive with said panels, and rows of stitching extending through, and securing together, the

lateral margins of said panel-piece, said lining ther characterized by having said reinforcement formed as a wire member confined within said ptgctklzt and supported in floating disposition by i p.

5. A correspondence-case or envelope as set 7 cured to said lining and constituting therewith and with said flaps an entity formed separately from said panels, said pockets being surrounded on three sides, and protected, by said U-shaped reinforcement, when embodied in the structure 5 of said correspondence case or envelope.

MAURICE LIFION. I 

